Magnanimous Masaryk

Sometimes a President may prudently say what he dare not write and publish. Last week tall, patriarchal President Thomas Garrigue Masaryk, potent Father of His Country (founded Oct. 18, 1918 when Czechoslovakia was recognized by the Allies), spoke privily and at length to a Hungarian of utmost probity, Dr. Franz Rajniss, chief of the Social Institute at Budapest. Returning home in high excitement Dr. Rajniss declared that President Masaryk had outlined to him a series of remarkable proposals for settling the acute Hungarian minorities question which arose when Czechoslovakia received after the War some 14,000 square miles of territory containing one million Hungarians plus less than a half-million inhabitants of other nationalities. The proposals verbally quoted by Dr. Rajniss rang true. They sounded like Masaryk, intelligent, magnanimous. Of course they did not envision yielding to the extreme Hungarian irredentist demand: "Czechoslovakia must give us back the whole 14,000 square miles!"

"I am an old man," began President Masaryk, according to Dr. Rajniss, "an old man from whose eyes the veil of political passion has long since melted. I urge the people of Hungary to listen to my proposals while I am yet alive."

Czech Masaryk allegedly went on to say that his proposals were submitted some months ago in a confidential note to Hungary's steely-eyed little dictator. Count Stephen Bethlen, who ignored them. Seemingly last week the Patriarch of Prague was unsheathing against Count Bethlen the same bright weapon of open propaganda openly arrived at which he wielded mightily during the War until the Powers agreed that Czechoslovakia ought and must become an independent state. Like his good friend Herbert Clark Hoover, Thomas Garrigue Masaryk works by mobilizing public opinion behind "the moral and spiritual values." Last week he declared, according to Dr. Rajniss, that Czechoslovakia is ready to:

1) Open negotiations for revision of the clauses of the Treaty of Trianon by which Hungarian territory was ceded to Czechoslovakia.

2) Consider whether all territory adjacent to the frontier in which Hungarians number more than 50% of the population should not revert to Hungary. Exception: Czechoslovakia will not consider giving up the vital Danube port of Bratislava, once Hungary's Pressburg.

3) Determine whether the rights of Hungarians left in Czechoslovakia after revision of the frontier could not be adequately safeguarded by allowing them to elect a representative who would serve with the rank of Minister in the Czechoslovak Cabinet.

Having made these generous proposals President Masaryk sternly declared, according to Dr. Rajniss, that he is aware of certain secret overtures recently made by Dictator Count Stephen Bethlen to Rumania with a view to enlisting that country's aid in wresting back all Czechoslovakia's once Hungarian territory, including Bratislava. "The Rumanian Government have loyally revealed these facts to us," President Masaryk was declared to have concluded, "But . . . we still prefer to achieve a friendly agreement with Hungary."

Czechoslovakia's official press service soon fulminated that President Masaryk had never spoken as quoted by Dr. Rajniss, did not deny that the interview had taken place, could not down widespread belief that the President had sent up a trial balloon.